It is surrounded by NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania and is geographically separated from the main part of Russia itself. Borderless connection is only possible by sea or air.

In 2002, it had a population of 430,003 people. This was more than in 1989, when the last census was done. At that time, the city only had a population of 401,280. About 78% of the people there are Russians, 8% Belarusians, and 7.3% Ukrainians.[1]